Ice
by Crystal di Angelo
Summary: Rin has always been over sensitive to ice... Hugs and love to all of you :D
1. Chapter 1

_Ice_

"_Okay, so today I'm giving you free reign. Here's ten dollars. Go buy some iced Milo for you and your nii-san, okay?" Shiro gave the money to Yukio, who was trembling slightly at the notion of being handed the responsibility for money. _

"_Can…can nii-san come too?" The five year old asked nervously. He wasn't used to going anywhere without his brother. "Please?"_

_Shiro smiled and ruffled Yukio's hair affectionately. "No. This time you need to do it on your own, okay? You can't always rely on your nii-san. One day, you might even be stronger than your nii-san. Who knows? Besides, knowing Rin, he would probably buy candy instead of iced Milo."_

_Yukio giggled at that last one. Rin had an unhealthy obsession with candy. There was one time Rin earned a hundred marks on his spelling test and was rewarded with a packet of candy. Rin earned those hundred marks __**because**__ there was candy promised._

_The darker side of the story was that when another group of boys harassed Rin for that candy, Rin beat them up._

_Yukio took a deep breath and went._

"_See, that wasn't so bad, wasn't it?" Rin grinned at his younger brother, holding up the iced Milo gingerly. "Gee, I never had iced drinks before, though dad always drinks it. Wanna try it now?"_

_Yukio gingerly took a sip. "Mmmm! It's nice! It's…de-li-cious." Yukio carefully pronounced the word._

_Rin wrinkled his nose. "What does that mean?" _

"_It means that I like the taste of this drink." Yukio explained._

"_Okay, if Yuki likes it, then __**I **__like it too!" Rin declared, taking a sip. "Yummy!" He pulled a face for exaggeration, sending Yukio into a fit of giggles. Happily, the brothers finished their drinks together and went to play._

_That night Rin had a terrible stomachache._

_Ice cream was okay with Rin. So was the Milo. Even the refrigerator-ed drinks. But if Rin ever tried to eat an ice block, he would fall sick that very day. Shiro banned Rin from eating anything remotely related to ice since that day. Rin would sometimes sneak in an ice cream or two without any ill effects, and even tried eating ice once or twice with the hope that he'd grown out of it, but the stomachaches escalated into full blown fevers, and gradually Rin just forgot about it and took not eating ice for a given._

* * *

><p>"Oi, Okumura, so are you going with us for dinner or not?" Suguro nudged the dark-haired boy in his side. "We know you don't have that much money, so we're going cheap. I personally don't have that much money either, but we're only going to buy the ingredients if you're coming and you don't have to pay for the ingredients. How does that sound?"<p>

"Great!" Rin leapt up, grinning. "Can I invite Yukio too? Please?"

Shima sauntered up. "As long as he doesn't act like a teacher and keep us all in line, why not?"

"Okay, what's the time again?"

"Six o'clock, you dream stealing idiot. Neko, Shima, and the two girls will all be there."

"Dream stealing idiot? Hey, I thought we'd made that clear, _my_ dream is the original one, not yours!"

"Oh really? I recall that I announced that first! For all I know, you could have just copied it to make yourself sound cool!"

"How do I make myself sound cool with that after you got laughed at for that very same thing? Come on, I'm not that much of an idiot."

"Yes you are!"

Konekomaru groaned. "This is going to go on forever."

That night, Rin was already busy in the kitchen with Ukobach and Shiemi. Shiemi was very eager to learn, and her hands were gentle and deft from years of gardening, so the two of them made a good team. Ukobach was preparing his own secret sauce, the recipe of which he hadn't shared with anyone, not even Rin. The other boys and Izumo were in the dining room, having done their part in buying and preparing the ingredients.

"Dinner's ready!" Rin beamed as he put the plates onto the table. He could see their mouths' starting to water.

"Itadikamasu!" They chorused, and dug in.

"Geez, this is heavenly!" Konekomaru praised. "Scrumptious!"

Bon goggled. "Moriyama-san, are you sure that this was cooked by that blue haired monkey?"

Shiemi giggled. "It's kind of hard to believe, isn't it? Rin is normally so loud and brash."

"Hey!"

Yukio just ate normally, since he was already used to eating Rin's cooking, though he had to admit, nii-san's cooking was supreme.

Izumo was surprised, but she didn't let it show.

Shima didn't even stop to speak, he just gorged himself and held out his plate. "More."

Rin grinned and refilled Shima's plate with a little kare raisu (curry rice). "Try this. Ukobach made the sauce."

Shima took a bit and shoveled the whole plate down before they could blink, then said a second word. "Ice."

Then he started spewing fire.

Not literally, of course. His face went red and steam seemed to emit from his nostrils. He emitted another ear piercing scream. "_Ice!_"

"Okay, okay, give me a sec." Rin toppled over a few chairs in his rush to get to the refrigerator for the required ice. Hurriedly dumping all of them into a cup, he bumped into Shima and thrust the cup into his hand. Shima gulped it down like it was nectar from the gods.

"Honestly, Okumura, what did you put in there?" Bon's reaction wasn't as big as Shima's, but nevertheless, the sight of the punk teen having steam coming out from his mouth was still a funny sight for all to behold.

Rin shrugged. "Not me. Ukobach. Do you want some ice too?"

"Actually, why don't you just get ice for everyone?" Izumo remarked. Her face was beet red, but to her credit she was holding it in.

"Gotcha." Rin headed back to the kitchen.

"Nii-san!" Yukio called out. "I want some too, but remember, you can't drink any."

"Stop worrying, moley four eyes! I know what I can and cannot eat perfectly well. What are you, my mom?" Rin joked, carrying the jug of refrigerator-ed orange juice, a tray of ice and balancing the glasses precariously on his head while reentering the room.

Yukio stood and swept the glasses off Rin's head. With practiced ease, Rin poured equal amounts of ice into all the glasses except one before pouring the orange juice into them.

_Iced drinks are ready!_ Kuro mewed.

Rin laughed and ruffled Kuro's fur. Kuro rolled onto his back for some belly scratching.

Everyone randomly grabbed a glass of iced orange juice and downed them quickly.

_Why can't Okumura drink ice? Maybe he just doesn't like them…oh well, I'll just play a prank on him._ Suguro grinned a little evilly at the thought and grabbed the glass of un-iced orange juice. _Nothing serious can come out of it anyway; the guy eats ice cream like a starved guy._

"Let's watch something. I can plug my laptop into the TV in the sitting room." Shima offered. "What do you guys wanna watch? Maybe some A-listed movies~" He grinned, but was cut off by Izumo's well thrown textbook.

"We'll watch _Ring (__午夜凶铃__)._ And see who screams first." Bon decided, smirking.

Yukio pushed up his glasses, an idea forming. "Then after that we will review the various ways to exorcise the demons in the movie. I can ask questions and you need to classify the demons and name its fatal verse if available. If not, suggest ways you can use to defeat it."

Rin held up his hands. "Whoa, no way you're turning this into a lesson."

"Yeah, that would take all the fun out of it." Shima agreed.

"Are you okay with this, Shiemi? Konekomaru?" Izumo asked the two Exwires that hadn't said anything yet.

Shiemi looked a little scared, but determined to give it a try. Konekomaru was trembling, but he didn't disagree.

"Let's set it up then!" Rin declared cheerfully, bounding to the other room with Shima.

A few minutes were all it took to set everything up, and they brought their orange juices over with them too.

The atmosphere was tense as the ghostly house appeared on the screen. The narration started.

_Four students died after watching a cursed tape. They would receive a mysterious phone call…_

Rin sipped from his glass of orange juice. Shima had already finished his and was screaming at the appearance of the bugs instead of the ghost. Konekomaru had rushed away under the pretense of washing his empty glass. Izumo was following the developments on screen silently, with Shiemi clinging tightly to her. Yukio's glass was still half full, forgotten on the floor as he muttered verses under his breath. Rin snickered slightly, catching Bon's attention. Bon raised a brow in challenge, and Rin smirked in acceptance. Downing their glasses of orange juice, Rin and Bon turned their eyes on the screen.

The heroine of the movie let out an ear piercing scream, and Rin flinched. Bon did too, as the ghost finally made its appearance, covered in blood.

_Help…me…_

_The curse the curse the curse…_

_Burn it burn it burn it…_

The sounds seemed to echo from everywhere in the house. Konekomaru was back in the room in a flash. "Wow, sensei, you really have a good sound system, eh?" He asked, wringing his hands nervously.

"Superb PA system." Shima interjected shakily. "Now if you would kindly tune it down…"

_Free me, Young Prince!_

Rin snapped and used the remote control to shut off the TV.

"What, lost your nerve?" Bon teased, but let out a very manly shriek as the ghost from the TV set materialized in front of them.

Yukio had both guns out in an instant, firing them simultaneously. The silver bullets passed through the ghost and smashed into the TV. Glass splintered and cracked. The ghost paused for a moment, looking at its wispy stomach that seemed to be nailed to the spot for a moment.

Then it howled, tearing its stomach out. It glided towards the frightened Exwires at a speed greater than lightning.

_Grant me leave to depart, Young Prince! I beg of you! Only the blue flames will have that power!_

"Blue-blue flames? What is it talking about?" Izumo asked, tiny brows furrowing.

"And what's all this shit about a Prince?" Bon demanded.

Yukio fired again, this time nailing it in the head. The bullet passed through yet again, this time smashing the ceiling fan which dropped down onto the ghost. Shiemi screamed as the fan crashed down.

Everyone started coughing as the dust billowed.

A ghostly hand could be seen trying to crawl out from under the fan, reaching towards the Exwires. They all backed away, except for Rin, who stared at the hand, transfixed.

_I beg only this of you…Young Prince. I am unworthy…they have told me so many times. _The ghost started to rise from the dust. Rin stumbled back. _I am undeserving of your mercy…but they have told me tales. Rumors have spread. They speak of a kind Prince. A Prince that does not think twice to offer mercy and salvation. An Angel Prince. They dream of the day the Young Prince will rise and claim his father's place._

The demon shuddered at the obscure mention of Satan. It fell down before Rin's feet, making Rin yelp and scramble back.

Bon grabbed his arms and yanked him back a few more feet. "Are you crazy?!" He hissed. "Do you know who that crazy ghost is talking about? She is a demon, and anyone she calls a prince can't be good either!"

Rin's heart fell a little but he kept his expression cool. "But I think she needs help." Rin pointed out.

_My Lord…my Prince…please…_

That please did the trick. Rin shrugged off Bon's hand and knelt by the demon. For the first time, its face showed hope.

"Keep your voice down. They don't know yet. How can I help you?" Rin murmured quietly, under his breath so that only the demon could hear him.

_Young Prince…Kind Prince…_ The demon seemed to do a little weird dance. _I am bonded to the service of Lord Satan for life. Only the blue flame can release me._

"What do I do? Burn you?" Rin asked.

The demon nodded vigorously. _Clever Prince…Brilliant Prince…Gehenna will surely prosper when you assume your rightful place as the King of Gehenna!_

"Okay, I hope this wouldn't hurt." Rin touched a finger to the demon's hand, concentrating with all his willpower to try to summon a small spark of blue flame, small enough that it won't attract notice but enough to break whatever curse his damned biological father had set upon this poor demon.

A sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed him and Rin nearly fell over. Confused, he tried again only to promptly fall onto his butt, blinking stars out of his eyes.

_My Prince?_ The demon asked, concerned, but let out an unearthly shriek as she was pulled back into Gehenna. _Save me!_

And she was gone.

"Whoa, Okumura, what did you do to her?" Bon came forward, a splash of color in Rin's blurry eyesight.

Rin weakly shook his head. "No-nothing…she just screamed and disappeared."

"Nii-san?" Rin saw the tell tale glint of Yukio's glasses. "Are you okay?"

"Are you hurt, Rin?" Shiemi asked in her soft, sweet tone.

Rin struggled to get up. "I'm fine-"

The next thing he knew was of his head thudding onto the floor and no more.

"…_Rin!_"

* * *

><p>"No, really, it's okay. You don't have to stay the night." Yukio reassured Rin's worried friends after heaving Rin onto his bed and tending to him. The Exwires were still in shocked by their normally healthy and strong friend suddenly collapsing. Looking fondly at the silhouette on the bed, Yukio shook his head and sighed. "Oh, nii-san…I wish you would stop trying to prove yourself capable of consuming ice."<p>

"Rin can't consume ice?" Shiemi exclaimed. "But the orange juices just now…"

Yukio shrugged. "He must have grabbed the wrong one. Nii-san's concern for his health is dangerously low."

"What happens when he drinks ice?" Bon asked, starting to feel uneasy.

"Well, it wasn't that bad when we were younger. Normally Rin just got a stomachache, but as he grew older it got worse. I remember last year we had to take him to the hospital because of a fever that threatened to burn his brain out. But don't worry." He added hastily, seeing the Exwires start to insist that they stay here for the night. He was a teacher, after all, and he couldn't have his students sleeping late and abandoning their homework on his watch. "Nii-san is going to be fine. I'll let him rest and take him to the hospital tomorrow for a checkup. But nii-san has always been strong. He will never let a mere illness to defeat him. Before you know it he will be annoying you like there's no tomorrow again."

"Rin doesn't annoy me." Shiemi stated.

"True, that stupid brat will be too stupid to die even if he dies anyway." Bon muttered.

Shima tilted his head. "You're making sense…by not making sense."

Konekomaru didn't want to go back to his dorm where only Suguro's snores would accompany him. He needed to stay in a place where there was assurance that there were trained professionals to keep away the demons from the ghost movie. He knew he was being silly, but cautiousness was in his nature. He couldn't help it.

"Yuki-chan…I'm worried about Rin and therefore I'm staying!" Shiemi surprised everyone by her sudden fierceness. Shiemi started to blush a little as everyone's attention was fixed on her, but she continued her rant. "Nii-chan can provide a constant supply of Mr. Sancho to lower Rin's fever and keep him cool, and if there's a sudden emergency that calls for herbs Nii-chan can supply those too! Right, Nii-chan?"

"Nii!"

"I will sleep outside if I have to, but I'm not leaving Rin like that!" Shiemi concluded.

Izumo stepped forward, looking bored. "It's too dangerous for a girl to sleep outside alone like that."

Shiemi looked like she was about to burst into tears. "But-"

"Therefore, I will spend the night with you in order to ensure your safety." Izumo calmly said.

"Hey, if the girls can stay, I want to stay too!" Shima tilted his head at Konekomaru, giving him a wink. "And Neko will come to make sure I don't give in to my impulses and assault these helpless girls."

"Who are you calling helpless?!"

"Ow…really, Kamiki-san…did you have to kick me?"

"It is necessary to knock sense into that brain of yours." Izumo cracked her knuckles. "Do you want another taste?"

Shima stood and patted away the dust on his clothes, grinning. "If it's from you, I would be honored."

Izumo 'hmmphed' and looked away.

"So, Bon, I guess you'll be staying with us too, huh?" Shima clapped Bon on the shoulder. "I fear that Neko might not be able to restrain me alone."

Bon was lost in thought. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."

Yukio sighed, pushing up his glasses. "If you're all staying, you'd better come inside."

* * *

><p>Rin slowly regained consciousness. Something cool and wet was on his forehead, and he was in loose pijamas. He was covered up to the chin in his blanket and there was a weight on his left leg. Despite the comfortable clothes he was in, the cloth still rubbed against his fevered skin irritatingly.<p>

His eyes felt like it had been sealed shut. His thoughts were sluggish, moving at the pace of a snail. Slowly, Rin managed to blearily crack his eyes open, and instantly winced at the moonlight streaming in from the window.

Soft snores emanated through the night. Yukio didn't snore.

It took three seconds for Rin to process that fact, and five more for him to realize that it meant that there was someone else in the room with him, and that wasn't Yukio.

Rin struggled up, taking deep breaths and trying to make as little noise as possible. His feet hit the cool floor and sent shudders through his body. Trying to preserve some warmth, Rin wrapped the blanket around himself before standing up and frowning up at the top bunk, trying to spot who it was.

Yellow black hair which reminded him of a rooster was shoved into his face. Startled, Rin stumbled backwards, unable to regain his balance as fast as he would normally have and fell right on top of Yukio's bed, essentially squashing Yukio too.

Yukio shot up in record time, screaming, and had pointed his pistols at his brother before he knew it. Rin sighed and grabbed one of the pistols, leaning his hot forehead against the cool barrel.

Naturally that woke everyone up.

And Rin's eyes widened as he took in just what everyone consisted of.

Izumo and Shiemi rushed in in their pijamas, Izumo starting to smear blood on the seals and Shiemi already prepared with some aloe. Bon shot up, and Shima started to stir on Yukio's top bunk. Konekomaru was on his mattress, already in a chanting stance.

A bout of dizziness overcame Rin.

_No no no no no. _He told his stomach firmly. _This isn't the time. _

His stomach didn't want to listen.

Just as Bon asked, "What's going on?" And flicked on the lights, the sudden stimulation was too much for Rin and he promptly spewed bile all over the floor before starting to have a coughing attack.

Yukio grabbed Rin before he could slump face first into the puddle of vomit. Rin coughed so hard that he almost bent double.

"Stupid…rooster…" Rin managed in between harsh breaths and coughs. He glared at Suguro with red eyes. "Snoring…hair…"

Konekomaru relaxed a little, though mildly annoyed. He'd finally managed to fall asleep a few seconds earlier, his waking thoughts plagued by demons and cursed telephone calls. Then his hard earned rest had been disturbed by Okumura's sensei's yells, which in turn had occurred because Okumura-kun had fallen on top of him. The brief flicker of annoyance quickly dissipated as Rin puked and started to cough.

"I'll clean up!" Shiemi bravely volunteered. "Nii-chan, Mr. Sancho!"

Yukio gratefully plucked the aloe from Shiemi's familiar as Shiemi ran off to get a mop and a bucket of water. Rin continued to cough, phlegm splattering onto the floor.

"Suguro-kun, can you hold Rin still?" Yukio asked, putting on his glasses and grabbing his medical kit. "Miwa-kun, please help Shiemi with the water and get more wet clothes. Shima-kun, can you phone the Exorcist doctors? Kamiki-san, kindly assist Suguro-kun."

Rin finally stopped coughing, gripping the edges of the bed, breathing hoarsely. "Don't make a fuss." He rolled his eyes as his arms turned to jelly and he fell backwards onto Yukio's bed. The stiff mattress didn't do anything for his sore back either. Honestly, the bed was as stiff as its master.

Bon jumped off the top bunk and lifted the shorter boy up in his arms bridal style. Rin grumbled half-heartedly, but was too tired to try to fight it off.

"Geez, Okumura, you're worse than before." Bon noticed as he lifted Rin onto his softer and more lumpy mattress. "Okumura sensei, can you take his temperature again?"

Yukio handed the thermometer over to Izumo, who told Rin to open his mouth. Rin sighed and made a few groans in protest, but complied anyway. Izumo stuck the thermometer under his tongue and waited, Rin's harsh breaths grating at their hearts. The only other sounds was the sound of the sloshing of water on the floor as Shiemi mopped up the mess.

The electric thermometer pinged.

"Forty three degrees. Not good." Izumo read. Rin moaned and buried his head in the pillow. When the shivers started to rack his body only did he notice that Bon forgot the blanket.

Rin huffed a sigh. Of course that chicken headed idiot would forget to bring over the blanket when he was freezing. Feeling far too proud to ask someone to get the blanket for him, Rin surprised everyone by standing abruptly and stumbling over to Yukio's bed, with two inviting blankets. Rin couldn't see for a moment as black overwhelmed his vision and he panicked, missing Yukio's bed by a few inches as his legs gave way and he crumpled to the floor for the second time that day.

"...you just wanted the blankets, didn't you, nii-san?" Yukio sighed as the ambulance roared up in front of the dorm.

* * *

><p>When school started again on Monday, almost every girl in school was waiting outside Okumura Yukio's classroom, with chocolates and get well cards ready.<p>

"Are you sure he's going to come?" One girl asked her companion dubiously. "I mean, if he got sick enough to have an ambulance take him to the hospital…"

The other girl shook her head, brown curls bouncing about. "Okumura-kun is so studious that he will come even when he is sick! No matter rain or shine-"

"-HE COMES!" The other girls shrieked.

Yukio was immediately buried under the hugs and gifts and cards before he'd even managed to take a step into the classroom. "Uh, ladies?" He yelped a little, startled.

"Stand back! You're overwhelming him! A sick person shouldn't be jostled and hugged like that! Leave him in peace!" Bon yelled over the clamor. The girls turned back to glare at whoever dared to tell them off for simply greeting Yukio.

"I need to talk to you, Okumura." Bon grabbed Yukio and dragged him into the class. "I've got a confession to make, sensei. Rin's sickness-"

Yukio remembered Rin in the hospital bed, pumped up with drugs and an oxygen mask on his face. "He'd always had that. It's like a strange little allergy, a weakness in nii-san's invincible armor." Yukio smiled bitterly, the beeping of the heart machine fresh in his mind. He'd been to the hospital before coming to school this morning. Rin's condition hadn't worsened, but it wasn't any better though. They couldn't get more expert help either because of Rin's demonic condition. Only a few select Exorcists knew, and even fewer could be trusted to take care of Rin without strangling him in his sleep.

Bon growled. The guilt had been weighing on his chest for the whole weekend. If only he hadn't been that playful…

"Sensei. I was the one who took Rin's glass of orange juice. Rin didn't notice that I had switched our cups. I-I am responsible for this!" He unwittingly raised his voice at the end of the sentence. "Rin…Rin is sick because of me. Tell me the truth. Is it really a little allergy as you make it out to be, or something even bigger? It might kill him, for all I know!"

Yukio looked startled but unfazed. "Suguro-kun. What happened to Rin wasn't your fault. There are a dozen what-ifs in there. What if Ukobach didn't make that sauce? What if someone knocked Rin's glass over? What if I'd thought to check? It's done, and you should apologize to Rin for playing a nasty trick on him, but only for that. You only apologize for what you meant to do."

Bon lowered his head, biting his lip. "Moriyama-san is worried too. As far as I know, she's still at the hospital watching over Rin. Shima and Koneko…what would they think of me?"

Yukio laid a hand on the cocktailed haired teen's shoulder. "I cannot anticipate their reactions, but I trust that they will understand that you didn't mean nii-san any harm." He looked at the front of the classroom only to notice that everyone was settling down and the teacher was already entering the class. "Rin will forgive you, Suguro-kun. You don't have to worry about that. I know nii-san well enough to assure you that he treasures his friends like nothing else. Go back to your seat. Classes are starting."

Bon sat through the rest of the classes with his mind wandering, something that he would've normally avoided and reprimanded Rin for. The teachers sometimes noticed, but since this was so out of behavior for him, they decided to let him off the hook for a day.

When the bell finally rang for break time, Bon grabbed his bag and stood. No one gave him a second glance, everyone assuming that he was just going back to his dorm to get other books.

Bon wasn't planning to do that, though.

He walked back to the dorm that he shared with Konekomaru, bag slung over his shoulder. Konekomaru was probably hanging out with Shima at the school canteen. He opened the door and flung his bag in. He quickly changed out of his school uniform and opted for a more casual T-shirt and jeans. He grabbed some money and put them into his bag. On second thought, he took the package of fruits that his mom had sent him a few days ago with him too.

Head down, he took the back door out from his dorm. It led into a forest, where provided a shortcut to the Okumura brothers' dorm. The front door was locked, but the back wasn't in Yukio's haste to get out of the dorm for a hurried visit to Rin before going to school. Bon quietly slipped inside.

The tables had been cleared, presumably by Ukobach. Something furry rubbed against his leg, and he saw a dejected Kuro staring up at him.

"Hey, Kuro." He squatted down. "Did Yukio leave food for you?"

Kuro shook his head. He mewled again.

"You want Rin, don't you?" Bon sighed. Kuro nodded enthusiastically. _Is he okay?_

"I'm sorry, but Rin isn't going to come home for a while. I'm not a freaking good cook like he is, but I can cook some simple things that actually taste decent. Do you just eat cat food, or something else?"

Kuro bounded over to the cookbook and nearly tore the pages with his claws. In the end, Kuro had to use his nose to flip over the pages, finally pausing on the one labeled 'Sukiyaki'.

Bon raised an eyebrow. Apparently familiars love the same things as their owners. "Right. That takes quite a while to whip up, but I'm pretty confident I can do it. It won't compare with Rin's though." Bon found an apron laid out cleanly on the table and put it on. The apron was a tad bit too short for him, and by that he guessed that it was Rin's.

"Okay, first you prepare the ingredients…"

When Bon put the meat onto the stove to stew for a while, the bell for resuming classes rang. Kuro butted his legs, almost as if it was saying, _Go to class! You'll get into trouble!_

"Just one day won't hurt." Bon told Kuro mischievously. "Come on, let's go get some things for Rin. I bet you can help me with that."

Kuro led the way, leaping up the stairs energetically as Bon followed at a slower pace. They entered the room that Rin and Yukio shared and Kuro immediately began pouncing on things that it would like Bon to bring for Rin.

"Manga, eh?" Bon raised his eyes at the voluminous stacks. "I'm not going to be able to bring that much, but I'll take a few volumes."

Kuro climbed onto Rin's desk and sniffed at the stacks of papers and textbooks. With amusement Bon noted that Rin was halfway through '_The Beginners Guide for Demons_' and another untouched book on the table was '_Demons for Children_'. "Good. You have a sense of responsibility too. Make sure Rin does his work when he gets back, okay?" Bon stuffed the homework and textbooks into the bag too. It was starting to feel heavy.

After picking up other necessary utensils (Bon couldn't believe that Yukio was so frazzled that he forgot to bring a towel for Rin) Bon bade goodbye to the content and fed familiar as he went back into the forest.

At the edge of the forest there were fences to keep students in and intruders out. Taking care not to disturb the seals disguised as graffiti, Bon climbed out of True Cross Academy school grounds.

He walked towards the bus stop, whistling a nameless tune to make himself look like he belonged. He took a bus from there to the bus stop closest to the hospital Rin was staying in. It was a small, unknown Exorcist hospital. Bon couldn't help but wonder why Yukio had Rin sent here of all places. There were bigger and better hospitals, and from what Yukio said, this wasn't a sickness caused by a demon, so there was no reason to send him to an Exorcist one.

Well, in any case, the young prodigy had obviously only wanted the best for his brother, so Bon didn't question it any further. Instead he entered the hospital and made a beeline for Rin's room. No one stopped him, seeing as he wasn't the only one. Worried family members formed a line at the counter, enquiring about the victim's sickness, mashou or injuries.

Bon slipped into the room and quietly shut the door. Shiemi was reading an Exorcist book titled, '_Doctoring as an Exorcist_'. Her mouth was curved downwards in a frown as her left hand supported the book and her right rested lightly on Rin's forehead. Rin looked flushed and tired, one hand resting on his abdomen and the other lying limply by his side. His legs were straight, and the blankets were abnormally tidy. Bon remembered when he'd stayed over for the night that fateful night, Rin had somehow managed to wrap the blanket around himself like a cocoon and mess up the bed sheets during the process.

The heart monitor was the only sound in the room, companioned by the harsh sound Rin made when he inhaled and exhaled. The oxygen mask fogged up and then the mist dissipated. To Bon's dismay, he noticed that they'd added an IV drip to Rin's collection of hospital equipment.

"Moriyama-san?" Bon asked softly, so that he wouldn't disturb Rin. Not that Rin might wake up anyway. Bon suspected that even if the Eight Demon Kings of Hell dropped in and fought, Rin could still sleep through it.

Shiemi jumped, snatching her hand back from Rin's forehead and dropped the book. She blushed at her clumsiness. "Ah, sorry! Suguro-kun! Why aren't you in school? Are you here to see Rin? Well, of course you are. Please take a seat!"

Bon smiled and set his bag down beside the bed and unzipped it. "Nah, you can take the chair. I brought some things for Rin. How is he?"

Shiemi's embarrassed smile turned down at the mention of Rin's condition. "He woke up once…just after Yuki-chan left this morning. He was screaming…something about fire and…" Shiemi shuddered. "He said, '_Just let me die._'. He didn't even recognize me. He was flailing around and screaming for help. '_Don't die on me,_' was what he said before he started to cry and the others had to sedate him."

Bon's heart almost stopped as he listened to Shiemi's account of what had happened. Looking at the pale youth on the bed, he bit his lip as he wondered what could have happened. Was the fever creating illusions? If that was the case, that would mean that the fever was already starting to dangerously affect Rin's brain. However, if those were fevered memories brought back to the surface by the illness, it would mean that Rin's brain was safe from the fever-for now. Bon wasn't sure what he'd prefer for his friend. A danger of his brain being burnt, or for him to have actually experienced what sounded really horrifying?

Absent-mindedly, he took out the last of the items he'd packed for Rin.

"Oh, fruits! Well…Suguro-kun…I'm sure Rin would appreciate your kindness! But how should we get it into him?" Shiemi picked up the items and started to pack them away in the small drawer and closet provided in the hospital room. As the girl reached up to put the magazines on the top shelf of the closet, the sleeve of her kimono slid down to reveal a bruise.

Bon jumped up and grabbed her arm.

"Eh? Suguro-kun…?! What's the matter?" Shiemi squeaked.

"What's that bruise?" Bon's eyes narrowed. "Was it Rin?"

"Er, no! Yes! I mean, no!" Shiemi stammered, jerking her arm out of Bon's grasp. She recovered her defiance at once. "And it's impolite to grab my arm just like that!"

"Go-gomen. But was it Rin?" Bon pressed.

Shiemi looked at the dark-haired teen on the bed. "Well, as I said, he was flailing about pretty badly…Rin was panicking and he didn't know what he was doing!"

Bon sighed. After all, it was partly his fault that Rin ended up like this. He took a few steps back from Shiemi and sat cross-legged on the floor by Rin's bed. He took a look at the chart at the edge of Rin's bed. Apparently the liquid in the IV was fever medicine to try to keep the temperature down, while there was also another dose of morphine due in another two hours, given that one had been administered just four hours prior. The reports also showed that even though the temperature was now manageable, and wasn't dangerously high for the moment, there was still a risk of it spiking suddenly. That explained why Shiemi had her hand on Rin's forehead. How to fight off the illness itself was still a mystery, so for now they had to rely on Rin's body and immune system being strong enough to fight off whatever bug it was. They would add a nutrition solution to the IV soon too.

The easy rhythm of the sound of the oxygen mask fogging up was suddenly broken as there was a sharp hiss and the next thing he knew, Rin was tugging on his hair.

"Oi, you damn monkey-" Bon slapped away Rin's wandering fingers. Shiemi gave a little shriek and hurried to peel the fruits.

"Rooster?" Rin breathed and let his arm dangle. Bon shoved it back onto the bed. "Just saw something bright and yellow…didn't think it would be your hair."

Bon 'tched' and then took a deep breath. He had an apology to make. "Well…Rin…I'm sorry."

"What for?" Rin's eyes were half-closed. Shiemi force fed a small piece of apple into his mouth. Bon could see Rin's eyes try to focus on Shiemi and failing epically. "Shi…e…mi? What are you doing here? Mmmph…" He got a mouthful of apple.

"Rin! Keep quiet and listen to what Suguro-kun has to say! And eat your fruit!" She scolded as Rin attempted to spit it out.

Rin grumbled a bit non distinctly and managed to prop himself up.

Confession time, then.

"Well, Rin, the thing is…I took your orange juice." There. There was it. The truth. Out in the open for Rin and Shiemi to judge him.

"Wha?" Rin mumbled around the orange in his mouth.

"…I TOOK YOUR ORANGE JUICE. THE ONE WITHOUT ICE."

Rin's brain, already slowed by the fever and even more by the morphine, finally caught up. "Oh. Okay. You owe me a meal."

Bon stared, dumbfounded as Rin started to cough, splattering orange drops everywhere on the white sheets. Shiemi supported him, thinking aloud that maybe Rin had enough solid food for today.

"What? That's it? I'm the reason you ended up in this state, you moron!"

Rin finally stopped coughing and leaned back against the headboard of the bed, spent. What with all the jostling, the IV ripped itself out of Rin's arm and just dangled there as blood dripped. Shiemi quickly used a nearby hair clip to clip the IV tube so that the liquid won't continue to flow out and be wasted. Quickly and expertly, she bandaged Rin's wrist, which had a chunk of flesh torn out of it. When that was done, she smiled at him and ran for a doctor while leaving Rin and Bon to talk.

"I'm…not a moron." Rin grinned in Bon's general direction. Bon sighed.

"Don't sigh. Told ja. Treat me to a meal as penance." Rin smiled, carefully lowering himself back down. Bon rushed forward to help. "You didn't know."

"But-" Bon tried to protest, but Rin held up one shaking finger and hushed him. "Nah. I should have noticed too. That old geezer…told me to be more careful. I forgot."

Just like that, plain and simple, Bon was forgiven.

Bon mumbled a goodbye, rushed into the nearest restroom he could find and let the tears flow.

(Later, he would have been almost taken to the police station for entering the ladies' restroom, but thankfully Shiemi was willing to vouch for him, and so did Yukio who arrived later and was somehow unsurprised to find Bon having skipped class and ran out of True Cross Academy school grounds)

(On a much later note, Rin survived and is now back to his normal self.)

(After that disastrous camping trip, Rin gulped down handfuls of ice. He didn't know what he was thinking at that point either.)

(He was absent from classes for two weeks, but he made sure the other Exwires never knew. Only Shiemi had come knocking by the first week, but he made Yukio lie to her and send her away)

(Strangely, this strange ice allergy disappeared on the day his friends accepted him as a Son of Satan)

* * *

><p><strong>In my opinion, ice reacts to Rin's body because of his flames. His flames have been hidden and suppressed, and even the smallest stimulus by ice (the opposite of fire) sets them off. They think that Rin is being frozen and lashes out at the ice to protect Rin. Ice cream is different because of the cream. When the flames react with the ice, Rin's subconscious works to push the flames back down so that they won't appear. Hence the fever. It gets worse with age because his flames are growing too. However, when his friends accepted his flames, Rin's subconscious relaxes and accepts that letting the flames out won't hurt. And by that time Rin's flames have already started to learn that the ice won't threaten their master and settled down. A crazy theory, really. :D<strong>

_Prompt: Ice._

_Hey guys, welcome to my longest one shot ever._

_Will I continue it? Probably not, though I might write an alternate ending if I feel up to it._

_Do you want another one shot of your own? You'd be doing me a favor if you requested. I found a strange quirk of mine-you give me a topic, I can let my imagination play with it so much that I will have a dozen different scenarios in my head before I even get down to writing. Just tell me to write a story…my imagination explodes and I just can't decide between the hundreds of scenes I can use. Then I confuse the plots. Then ka-boom, the worst story in the universe. _

_Thanks for reading!_

_Hugs and love,_

_Crystal di Angelo_

_**You may be a murderer. Or someone contemplating suicide. Or just someone reading this for fun. But no that for you...**_

_**Angels mourn.**_

_**They mourn for every drop of blood,**_

_**Every single miserable mood;**_

_**Faeries cry.**_

_**They cry for every hurting soul,**_

_**Who long for nothing more than to be not used as a tool;**_

_**God hurts.**_

_**He hurts for every and each one of you who just refuse to accept that you are beautiful just the way you are, that beauty is nothing more than something which pleases the heart of men. You are better than that. The very sight of you pleases the heart of God.**_

_**And He loves you. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Suggested by Aneki Okumura.**_

_**Thanks for the suggestion and the review on the previous chapter! **_

* * *

><p><em>Ice: The Untold Side<em>

* * *

><p><em>(After that disastrous camping trip, Rin gulped down handfuls of ice. He didn't know what he was thinking at that point either.)<em>

* * *

><p>"…and do not, under any circumstances, touch the holy water grenades on the table. Those aren't fully fixed yet, and if you press the wrong thing they'll probably just explode in your face." Yukio finally finished the long list of 'do not's for his brother. He frowned at the vacant look on his brother's face. "Nii-san? Are you even listening?"<p>

"Hmm? Yeah, don't touch the guns, don't forget to study, don't burn the dorm down to the ground, don't try cooking with my flames, don't touch the stuff on the table. Got it." Rin mindlessly repeated. When the flash of Yukio's glasses lowered to reveal a pair of genuinely worried eyes, Rin mustered a smile and scowled good-naturedly at his younger brother who acted way too much like a salaryman for Rin's liking. "What are you, my mom? I'll be fine, it isn't like you're leaving for a month. It's just one night, Yukio. I'm fifteen, almost sixteen. I can handle myself."

Yukio shook his head and sighed in exasperation. "Exactly what I'm worried about. The last time you thought you could handle it yourself you went berserk. Act _serious_ for a while, nii-san, it won't kill you."

"And you're way too serious!" Rin called after Yukio as he used his keys to transport himself to some random spot that was tonight and tomorrow's mission. If everything went as planned, Yukio would be back late evening tomorrow. Since it was a weekend, Yukio didn't have class as an excuse even though he would like to stay home and watch over Rin. Partly to protect Rin from himself, and to protect Rin from others. For example, Arthur Augusta Angel would be positively itching to get Caliburn through Rin's neck. He'd already gotten it through Rin's foot once, and Yukio wasn't keen on that happening again. Shura was going with him on this mission too, and both of them weren't very happy about it, but they agreed that if the worst came down to the worst, Rin could defend himself perfectly fine. Shura's drills were paying off so far.

Rin drooped as soon as Yukio left. He'd told Kuro to follow Yukio on his mission, since Rin was really worried that if Shura, an Upper First class Exorcist was required to go, it could potentially be serious, and Rin wasn't going to take chances with what's left of his family. Ukobach had been taken away by Mephisto for some international Exorcist branch heads meeting that even Mephisto couldn't get away with serving ramen for.

Rin should start cooking too, if he wanted to eat on time.

He switched on the stove and stared at the flames licking the pot as he put the chopped onions in it along with some noodles to stew.

_(Blue flames, bathing the sky and the ground, creeping slowly towards his friends, his family, threatening to hurt them and he couldn't stop it-)_

Rin stumbled back, hands fumbling to turn it off-off-off. It didn't matter whether his dinner was going to be uncooked, or that he could have burned himself-all that mattered was that the fire was _gone_.

"_Is everyone safe?" _

_(Desperation, hope, begging, pleading, please don't hate me-)_

"_Why…" (Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you confess? Why did you try to kill us? Why-)_

"_Why the hell is Satan's son here in the Academy?!" _

_(Shock, despair, beading tears-)_

_(I thought we were __**friends**__!)_

"_There's…there's not much difference between me and a regular human, it's just-" (One more last ditch attempt, trying to claw your way back up before falling again-)_

"_Why are you laughing like there's nothing wrong about it?!" (Everything's wrong. Everything's gone horribly wrong and twisted-)_

Rin backed into the refrigerator.

Rin wasn't stupid. He'd sort of figured out the connection between his flames and ice, being that ice was fire's natural enemy, the sickness was probably just a by –product of his flames combating with the ice.

_(Blue flames, Neuhaus-sensei screaming how they had taken everything away from him-)_

If he ate enough…

_(Blue flames, Fujimoto Shiro dying shrouded in them-)_

Rin didn't pause to think. He followed his impulses like he always did.

He opened the refrigerator and started to shovel handfuls of ice into his mouth.

Nothing at first. Rin stood there, waiting, the ice tray emptied. Rin had refilled it with water and put it back into the fridge so that there would be ice when Yukio needed some, and now Rin was sitting on a mattress in another room in the dorm, a blanket wrapped around himself.

A Coal Tar drifted past.

Then massive hobgoblins emerged from the walls of the room.

_Shit._

Rin tried to run from the room, but the hobgoblins blocked the door, leering at him.

"Damn it!" Rin aimed a kick at the nearest one then nearly doubled over in pain as the muscles of his leg seized. Hopping forward the best he could on his other leg, Rin glared at the other demons, daring them to attack the son of their King. Apparently they couldn't read glares that well, for they swooped down upon him.

Rin unleashed a wave of blue flames that vaporized their front line, and let out an ear piercing scream as he started to choke on his own blood. Rin only knew that his strength was being sapped from him at a surprisingly rapid speed, and there was a horde of hobgoblins ready to tear him apart and he didn't want to draw his sword-

One hobgoblin slammed into him, sending him through the wall and breaking a few bones during the process. Rin lay still, partly because he didn't have the strength and will to move and partly to allow his broken ribs time to heal, as they always did, but nothing happened.

Nothing to Rin's advantage, anyway.

The hobgoblins swarmed through the hole, targeting Rin. Rin had no choice.

He gritted his teeth, grabbed his sword, and ran down the corridor to the warded safety of the room he shared with Yukio, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He couldn't help it that he was whimpering as he ran.

Rin didn't even close the door when he thudded to the ground, Kurikura clattering onto the floor beside him a few inches away.

Rin clawed his way across the floor to the leg of Yukio's table, using it as support to haul himself upright as soon as he regained consciousness. There were blood, saliva and mucus on his face, and he couldn't let Yukio see him like this.

_(Get rid of the flames)_

Rin was partly blind by then, just managing to process the world of sight by identifying the colors and vague shapes. He couldn't hear anything, not even his own tortured screams as he fell to his knees once, twice, thrice. He wasn't sure whether his vocal chords were working.

Massive organ failure.

The hobgoblins were mostly gone, having scattered after finding no new prey to torment within the dorm. Rin's injuries weren't healing, and he was shivering as he managed to wipe most of the fluids off and crawl into bed.

* * *

><p>"Nii-san! Have you done your homework?" Yukio called as he closed the door behind him, freshly back from his mission. He'd expected to see Rin waiting with a goofy smile and a hot meal, even though he'd seemed a bit off before Yukio left, but cooking almost always cheered Rin up.<p>

No Rin. A spotless kitchen. No lights were on.

"Nii-san?" Yukio was starting to have a horrible feeling.

Then he saw the drops of blood at the foot of the fridge and he knew that something was very, _very_ wrong.

"_NII-SAN!"_

* * *

><p><em>(He was absent from classes for two weeks, but he made sure the other Exwires never knew. Only Shiemi had come knocking by the first week, but he made Yukio lie to her and send her away)<em>

* * *

><p>No one spoke about Rin.<p>

No one mentioned how Shiemi tended to avoid the front seats.

No one mentioned how dark and uninteresting class suddenly seemed.

It was as if Okumura Rin hadn't pushed open the door of the classroom that day and announced in typical punk fashion: "Hello, I'm Okumura Rin. Please bear with me."

It was as if Okumura Rin hadn't touched the iron gate to Shiemi's garden that day and broke it.

It was as if they hadn't laughed, talked, fought, made up, cried, yelled, played, ate or drank with Okumura Rin.

It was as if Okumura Rin never existed and Bon didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing.

Rin hadn't shown up at class for three days already, and Shiemi was starting to get worried. Yukio never said anything, he just hurried into class, rushed through the lesson, words spilling from his lips without pause, flowing like a stream. As soon as the lesson ended he whirled past them as fast as he came and left. He ignored the raised hands. He ignored Shiemi's futile attempts to get his attention. He ignored Bon slamming the table with his hands and demanded what their sensei was doing, (just like what Rin had done a few months ago, what Rin would have done if he was there with them) ignoring his students and just reciting like some damn robot.

"I'm going to check on Yuki-chan today!" Shiemi announced to the class after Yukio breezed out of the classroom after yet another hasty session. "Who's coming?"

Izumo turned her face away. She wasn't going to run off on another adventure with that blonde.

Shima and Konekomaru waited for Bon to make a decision. If he went, they went.

Takara wasn't going, at least that much was obvious.

Bon clenched his fists. The unspoken mention of Rin drifted by. Seeing Yukio at his dorm meant having an excuse to check on Rin too.

"I'm not going."

Shiemi went alone that day.

* * *

><p>"Yuki-chan?" Shiemi knocked on the door tentatively. She'd never walked here from cram school without using a key before, and it surprised her how abandoned the dorm really was. You could scream as loud as you wanted in it and no one would hear you.<p>

Rustling sounds and soft arguments could be heard when Shiemi pressed her ear to the keyhole. It made her feel naughty, eavesdropping like this, but still, she was concerned for her friend…friends. Shiemi still considered Rin her friend, but still…it made her angry to think of him. Angry in a way she hadn't been before. Angry and sad and disappointed. That she didn't know. That Rin didn't tell…that Yuki-chan didn't say anything…that they pretended that everything was alright while everything was just falling apart with every passing day as the lie dug deeper and deeper and leeched the trust of their friends and Rin just smiled and pretended that everything was okay that he wasn't hiding anything from them that he was just a simple boy who had an unrealistic dream.

The Saviour of Assiah. Gehenna's Heir. The Vatican's Weapon. The Son of Satan. Okumura Rin. Her _friend_.

"Hello?" Shiemi called out again. "Rin?"

It amazed her, how easily the name slipped out from her lips. It was as if nothing had changed. And _everything_ had changed.

Yukio opened the door. "Yes, Shiemi-san?"

"No-nothing. It's just, I came to check on Rin. Why isn't he coming to school?"

Yukio cast a swift glance behind him. Shiemi tried to peek inside but she couldn't see anything as Yukio's tall silhouette blocked the door completely.

"Nii-san is going to undergo special training. He'll be taking different classes from now on if he's going to pass the Exorcist exam and survive. Thanks for your concern, Shiemi-san, but it really isn't necessary."

"O-Okay. And is Yuki-chan alright too? You've been acting strange lately. Is everything okay?"

Yukio nodded and smiled. "I would ask you in for a cup of tea, but if you don't get home now your mother should be worrying. Don't make her worry, okay?"

Shiemi's mother wouldn't worry. In fact, she'd been more than happy to let Shiemi go out later and later after school, if only it got her out of her shell and got her new friends. She smiled and nodded and said her goodbyes and let Yukio close the door in her face. She turned away, wondering.

Why did Rin lie to her? She'd thought that Rin was always straightforward and barging ahead and a hero, and heroes don't lie. Pure and innocent people don't lie.

Then she remembered her terrified screams of 'Demon!' when Rin accidentally destroyed her silver gate, which was now fixed.

If Rin hadn't lied, Shiemi would probably be screaming for his blood by now without giving him a chance.

Shiemi pursed her lips and sat on a bench a distance away, hidden behind a few shrubs. If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't see her there, but Shiemi had a perfect view of the dormitory Rin and Yukio were staying in. She wouldn't rest until she saw Rin hale and hearty. To pass the time, she practiced with Nii-chan, even managing to get some type of grass that grew only in Gehenna. Shiemi took a sample of it to test later for any kinds of uses.

The sun slowly moved to the west side of the sky and gradually moved downwards. Shiemi was beginning to feel hot and sticky and longed for a bath. Finally her waiting paid off as Yukio hurried out of the dorm, closing the door behind him. He seemed to be in a hurry as he took off at a brisk walk in the direction of the small town within the school. Shiemi seized the opportunity and crept into the dorm.

"Rin?" She called out quietly and nearly screamed when something soft rubbed against her foot. She calmed down to realize that it was only Kuro. She knelt down to see Kuro at his level. "Can you take me to Rin?"

Kuro meowed. _The nice and sweet smelling girl who fed me those nasty cookies! She's nicer than the cookies though, so I'm taking her to Rin!_

Kuro led her through the kitchen, cat feet padding silently on the tiled floor, and Ukobach turned at the sound of Shiemi's footsteps. Kuro mewed, letting Ukobach know that Shiemi was a friend, and maybe she could help Rin. Ukobach grunted and handed the bewildered girl a bowl of herbal soup.

"These are good for the kidneys…" Shiemi recognized it instantly. "And they can repair damaged lungs, posing no damage to a demon either. But Rin's lungs were perfectly fine the last time I saw him…"

Last time Shiemi saw Rin, he had growled and snarled at her.

She followed Kuro upstairs, toting the bowl carefully as they paused in front of a door, the walls around it cracked and peeled and-_was that blood_? A stain on the floor, a deep, dark, red. Nii-chan squealed softly and ducked into Shiemi's hair.

Kuro scratched at the door, mewling loudly before quietly creeping away.

"Ah, Kuro!" She called after the Cat Sith as it slunk away. She turned her gaze to the door in front of her. Rin was probably behind it. He could be doing his homework, lazing around, reading manga, sleeping, or eating. Perfectly normal activities. Shiemi would just push the door open a crack, take a look at Rin to ease her fears, and leave with the memory of a healthy and happy Rin intact in her mind to comfort her worries. She pushed open the door.

The sight beyond it magnified her worries instead.

There was Rin, barely being kept alive by machines hooked up to his body. There was a hemodialysis machine to support his failing kidneys, defibrillators just in case his sputtering heart gave out, a machine that fed pure oxygen to Rin to help his lungs, IV drips to keep him hydrated and get the necessary nutrients into his body, and a few other dozen machines that Shiemi couldn't identify, each for a specific organ.

Massive organ failure.

Rin himself was lying on the bed, choking and struggling for more breaths. Tears pooled in his eyes as he scrabbled at the bed sheets for purchase. Shiemi wanted to run in and help Rin, but she wasn't sure if she should. If Rin wanted her to. She had been too harsh towards him that day on the bridge. Maybe that was why Rin was lying there now.

_What if Rin didn't want to be friends with her anymore?_

Shiemi tried to slip out quietly, but she remembered the herbal soup.

Well, she could at least keep her sort-of promise to Ukobach. She slipped into the room, certain that Rin would be too distracted by his pains to notice her. If Rin did notice her Shiemi wouldn't know what to do. Was she still angry? Should she forgive the son of Satan?

The bowl made a soft thunk as Shiemi laid it on the table. Rin didn't respond. Shiemi took one look at the door, then back at the bowl of herbal soup. Yukio should be going to the pharmacy just now then…since it was obvious that Rin was using up a lot of Yukio's emergency stash of supplies. So Yukio wouldn't be back for some time, and Rin obviously couldn't feed himself…

Before Shiemi knew what she was doing, she was supporting Rin's feverish head in one arm and spooning the herbal soup into his mouth with the other. Rin moaned a little, eyelids fluttering open. "Yu…Yukio?"

And Shiemi's heart went cold.

Rin looked straight at her and repeated his question in a soft, scratchy voice. "Yukio? Did you send her away?"

Rin couldn't see.

Shiemi finished spooning the soup into Rin's mouth without saying a word. Rin started to frantically feel at his ears, dragging a few tubes along with his arm. "Yukio? Are you there? I can't hear you…I can't hear…!"

Rin started to scream and that dissolved into hacking coughs. Shiemi quietly added some painkillers into the IV drip of nutrients, enough to put Rin back to sleep, collected the bowl and spoon and left.

* * *

><p>Suguro hadn't expected Shiemi to return to class more quiet and subdued than ever. It was almost as if she had caught whatever quiet disease Yukio had. Even Izumo was paying more attention to the blonde than usual. He could read it in the subtle flicks of her eyes, the occasional twitching in her direction.<p>

Shima sidled up to Suguro's side. "Hey, Bon. Have you finally let go of your monkly desires? You've been watching Moriyama and Kamiki since the beginning of the class."

Suguro rolled his eyes at Shima's remark. "Honestly. You know the reason I'm looking at them, Moriyama in particularly. Didn't she announce yesterday that she was going to see sensei?" He left the 'and Rin' unspoken. "Now she comes back acting like sensei did."

In the background, Yukio droned on his lesson like a robot.

"Do you think…" Shima hesitated for a while, then decided to just get on with it. "It has anything to do with Okumura Rin-kun?"

The first time Rin's name had been spoken aloud in the classroom after the Incident.

Konekomaru nodded. "For once, Shima-kun, your answer has more than a fifty percent chance of being right. We haven't seen Okumura-kun since it had happened, and Okumura-sensei started acting weird around then. Moriyama –san had been seeing Okumura-sensei all day before but she still retained her original personality until she went to the dorm Okumura-sensei shares with his brother. Therefore it must have something to do with Okumura-kun."

Shima placed a hand over his heart at the fifty percent chance thing. "Why, Neko, you wound me."

Two more days passed in this manner and finally Shima couldn't take it anymore. Seeing the cheerful blonde like that was downright depressing and it was starting to put a damper on his mood too. Plus, she had nice boobs.

The bell rang. Yukio didn't even wait for the class to say their customary 'Thank you, sensei,' before rushing off. Shiemi started to pack her things too, though at a slower speed.

"Moriyama-san~" Shima sang, positioning himself directly in front of her, the better to admire her boobs with. "What's up?"

Shiemi looked up and smiled shyly at him, which nearly made his heart melt had he not remembered his commitment to Izumo-chan. "I'm fine, Shima-kun! How are you?"

"I will be fine as long as I'm talking with such a beauty as you~" Shima sneaked a peek at Izumo, who caught it and snorted, turning away.

Shiemi blushed. "Well, I'm glad if you're fine. But I really need to go, I have to prepare Yui-san, I mean, marigolds, antiwei, raspberry leaves , sesame seeds, gentian, and…" She was rather proud of herself, actually, for being able to remember so many of their real names. She'd been working hard since Yukio last told her that she needed to use the plants' real names if she really wanted to become an Exorcist.

"Whoa, stop. Aren't those herbs for…" Suguro's brow furrowed as he tried to recall. "Major sickness or something? Who are they for?"

"Uh, someone just put in a really large order!" The tips of Shiemi's ears turned red, a sure sign that she was bluffing.

"From your own garden?" Konekomaru asked suspiciously.

"Um, uh," Shiemi floundered.

Suguro's expression softened. "Okumura Rin. How is he?"

Shiemi broke.

"Rin…Rin…Rin!" She started to wail and Suguro jumped, shocked. What was he to do with a crying girl? Should he give her a hanky? Should he hug her…? Should he…should he…what do people do in this situation anyway?!

In the end, it was Konekomaru who came to his rescue. "Moriyama-san." He said softly as tears started rolling down the blonde's cheeks. "Can you tell us what's wrong? Maybe we can help you."

Izumo snorted from a table over as Bon waved his arms in a futile attempt to get her to shut up for once. "You know it's about the son of Satan. Would you really willingly help him, even for Moriyama Shiemi? Either you hate him too much or you're scared stiff of him."

Shiemi started to bawl even harder with those words. Shima cautiously crept nearer to the desk they were all now gathered around except for Takara, who never really took part in their group endeavors anyway.

Feeling very, very unequipped to handle this situation, they could only wait for Shiemi's sniffles to die away.

_Rin would know what to do. He would take the idiot way out and somehow miraculously solve the problem and make Shiemi laugh again._

"Rin…Rin." Shiemi repeated the previously forbidden name like a mantra. "He…He's sick. Rin…Rin couldn't _see_. He thought I was Yuki-chan."

"He's _blind?_" Konekomaru tried to wrap his brain around that thought. He had glasses himself, and without it the world would just be blurred blobs of color, but to be deprived of even that color…

Shiemi grew indignant. "I'm telling the truth! Rin couldn't even _move!_"

"Sick." Izumo repeated. "_Sick._ He's a half demon. Demons don't get sick."

Suguro grew very, very quiet. "Actually…Okumura does get sick. We were all there, remember?"

Ice.

Shiemi's eyes widened, bit by bit, and Shima put two and two together.

"Unless someone was stupid enough to slip him ice and face risking Okumura-sensei's wrath…" Izumo began.

"Or the idiot forgot about his allergy…" Suguro muttered.

"Okumura was trying to kill himself." Shima finished with completely no tact at all.

"Shima-kun!" Konekomaru hissed, too late.

Shiemi's eyes brimmed with tears again, and she fled out of the classroom.

"Do we go after her?" Shima asked.

"We go after her and check up on that stupid idiot." Bon decided, already taking the first step. "Baka baka baka boku ne…" He muttered the whole way as they trailed after Shiemi, whose tears drifted away in the wind.

They reached the boys' dorm and just barged in without even knocking.

Yukio looked up, startled, nearly dropping the numerous vials of medicine he was carrying upstairs to Rin.

"Yuki-chan!" Shiemi stopped dead in her tracks.

Yukio was caught off guard, and he let it show. Izumo didn't expect that. Yukio would never be caught off guard, as an Exorcist. Besides, they'd made enough of a ruckus, what with Shiemi's breath still hitching, Shima's loud footsteps, Suguro's curses, Konekomaru's prayer beads clacking together as he moved and her own pigtails swishing through the air.

Even if he was caught off guard, one of the first rules you learn in the Exorcism world is _you don't show your weaknesses._ Demons target weaknesses in the soul, or in the body. To wear your heart on the sleeve like they thought Rin did would be suicide. That's why most of the Exorcists learn to hide their emotions or put on a false façade. Shura-sensei was using her overly-exposed body to divert the attention of others. Izumo was pretty sure that Arthur Auguste Angel's confident demeanor was just something else to throw people off guard.

So when Okumura Yukio actually _yelped_ and nearly fell over trying to save the vials from cracking on the steps, Kamiki Izumo knew that something was very wrong. And for once, she actually took Moriyama Shiemi at her word, and that was saying something. Kamiki Izumo did not trust lightly. Not after the Illuminanti.

"What are you doing here?" Yukio recovered his senses fast.

"I, uh," Shiemi stuttered. "I've come to see Rin!"

Yukio raised an eyebrow. "Rin? Didn't you just come yesterday?"

"Yesterday?" Konekomaru questioned, a bit worried. "Sensei, today is Monday. Moriyama-san came last Saturday, after cram school."

"It's Monday already?" Yukio mumbled to himself. Then he realized that his students were still present, and straightened, trying to look as dignified as one could while holding a box of vials contained with expensive medicine for his sick brother upstairs who probably tried to commit suicide and doesn't want anyone to know about it, said anyone currently surrounding him, imploring to answer their questions.

"Nii-san isn't home yet. He's probably still training with Shura-san." Yukio lied smoothly and quickly. He would have gotten away with it if Shura hadn't burst in the dorm at the moment, furious.

"OI! Yukio! Where's the idiot? I gave him two days rehabilitation rest for his foot to heal completely-A knight without a good foot isn't going to be of much use if he can't dodge or keep his balance-and the third and fourth day I was on that stupid mission with you! Then he skips class for half a week and I thought that maybe he was just learning how to cope with his friends all tossing him aside like trash and _that_ I can understand but honestly, where did he even find the guts to skip for an entire week?! Drag the brat out! I'm going to kick his sorry ass and-" Shura paused mid rant as she banged through the doors of the kitchen.

"Whoops."

Shura had already seen their discarded shoes at the threshold. She stopped, knowing that her yelling earlier would easily have been heard by them. Goddamnit, what were they doing here?

Suguro quietly stared Yukio down. "I repeat Shura-sensei's question for both her and us. Where is Okumura Rin?" Yukio started to reach for his gun with his free hand. Suguro realized how that must have sounded, coupled with his murderous expression. He tried for a softer tone. "Is Okumura okay?"

Yukio's eyes flashed and he actually grabbed his gun. "Is Rin okay, you ask? You ask if he's okay?" His voice rose to a scream, and Shura's eyes widened. She had never seen Yukio truly mad like this before. Pissed off, maybe. Disappointed, annoyed, all of these she had successfully drawn out of him before. But this was a whole new level of Okumura Yukio that you didn't want to see, and if you did you might not just come out alive.

Everyone sensed the waves of anger and danger rolling off their young teacher and was wise enough to back away a little, giving the steaming fifteen-year old some space. All except Shiemi, it seemed.

"Yuki-chan!" She persisted as Izumo mentally called her an idiot for the thousandth time. "Please, we need to see Rin! We know Rin isn't okay, and-"

Yukio started up the stairs. "If you care so much," he asked furiously, heaving breaths. "Then why did you hurt him? You gave him looks of hatred, now he's blind; you told him words he didn't want to hear-couldn't hear, nii-san's always been so stupid and sensitive-and now he's deaf. You looked like you wanted to break every bone in his body, he did it for you. You want him to die, he's dying already! So why can't you just leave. Him. Alone?!" Yukio was shaking as he reached the second floor of the dorm. Spots of tears dotted the floor, like tiny flowers of sadness had bloomed right there.

"He's the only family I have left!" Yukio screamed at them, shaking so hard that the vials clanked against each other. "And you-him-idiots! All of you!"

Yukio fled into Rin's room and shut the door.

For a long time, no one spoke. Heavy sobs echoed through the dorm.

Then one sentence.

"Yukio? Are you…are you okay?"

"Nii-san!" They could hear Yukio's excitement and worry in his voice.

Shura kicked open the door, nearly knocking Yukio flat on his back, shaking her fist at Rin, who was just trying to sit up despite the many tubes dragging him down.

"YOU STUPID IDIOT!" She cursed, giving him a slap on the head, enough to send him reeling back into his sheets again. Rin frowned, pulling a face.

"Shura? Is…is that you? How…"

Shura's eyebrows furrowed. "Is this me? Idiot, of course this is Kirigaruke Shura _at your service_. What, you misplaced your eyes in the back of your head?"

Yukio elbowed Shura out of the way, glasses flashing dangerously. "_Out._ You will not be disturbing nii-san's rest. _I_ will tend to him and you will stay _outside_ without making puns that are _not funny in the slightest._"

By that time Shiemi had already managed to squirm into the room, Shima following after, then Bon, then Konekomaru. Izumo stayed outside, tiny brows furrowed in a deep line as she watched Rin grope around for his brother. Yukio discreetly placed his hand on Rin's arm, reassuring and placating him.

"Rin!" Shiemi dashed forward, and Rin smiled uncertainly in her general direction. "Are you okay? I've got herbs…they're all at home now though, but I have herbal cookies…do you want them right now?"

Rin nodded slightly, hair flopping over his eyes. He made no move to brush it away. "Yeah…thanks."

"…Rin?" Shiemi reached for him but Rin instinctively flinched away. Shiemi drew back, hurt.

Suguro moved closer, emitting a growling sound deep in his throat. Rin backed away further, hunching and wrapping his arms around himself. "Bo-Bon? I'm sorry…I really am…"

"You _should_ be sorry, you dumb monkey!" Suguro roared, rattling the IVs. "What were you _thinking? Ice? Really?_ You made us worry! You should be more careful! You even made Shiemi cry!"

Rin was starting to cry too, soft, hitching sobs of his own. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I only wanted to make them go away…"

Yukio sighed, pushing up his glasses, having finally unceremoniously kicked Shura out from the room. It scraped at his heart, his invincible, cheerful nii-san who was always so confident and happy and just plain _unbreakable_ was crying softly, with heartbreaking sniffles. Tears trickled out from his unseeing eyes.

"Make what go away?" Shima asked, causing Rin to stiffen more. So they were all here?

"The…the flames." Rin mumbled.

Everyone was quiet for a second, a second too long, enough for Rin to start thinking that they'd all left because that wasn't enough, he needed to do more, he should try harder-

Then…

"A-Ano-Group hug!" Shiemi said, then enforced it by dragging everyone-Yukio, Konekomaru, Suguro, Shima (who was almost fainting with joy), Izumo and of course Rin into an awkward group hug on Rin's bed.

Shiemi had her head on Rin's shoulder, his tears dripping onto her hair and then she was crying too, one hand carding through Rin's hair and the other wiping Yukio's tears for him, in a tangle of arms, legs, tears and tubes and Rin was still crying and he got louder and louder and Shiemi guessed that it was good because that meant Rin was healing and she was still angry at him but not so much anymore because it seemed like Rin was angrier at himself than Shiemi was at him and that only made Shiemi cry more because she hadn't seen that he was a son of Satan and she hadn't seen how sad Rin was. And Yukio was sad too-both of them were sad and Shiemi was stupid-baka baka baka-for not seeing it sooner and that she couldn't help because that was what friends did. But as Yukio and Rin started their full out bawling-Rin's being quieter and more strained because he was still weak and Yukio's coming in loud, short bursts because he would have short moments of clarity-Shiemi started laughing as well because they had moved beyond the boundary of normal friends and were crying openly in front of each other and that had to mean being very special friends, right?

Yukio smiled. He should be protesting, that Rin was already over exerting himself and that he was still blind and that his nii-san needed rest, but…what Rin needed most was being offered to him right now and Yukio was not going to deny him that.

Head pressed against Suguro's chin, arms squashed between her own body and Shima's, Rin's feverishly hot body squished against her face, legs folded in an awkward position because one of the objects of their hug was still in bed and they had to be careful to avoid jostling the tubes or Rin too much, Izumo sighed.

She should feel annoyed. That stupid Moriyama Shiemi, always dragging her into situations like this.

But instead, she felt happy. And contented and silly and light, like when she had Tsukomo.

She had found a new family after all.

* * *

><p>Yukio closed the door quietly behind them.<p>

Shura waited, hands on knees. "Well?" She demanded. "What _happened? _Why didn't you tell us?"

The Exwires were staring at him too, waiting for an answer. Shiemi was still looking at the door to Rin's room, where Rin was now under a heavy dose of sleeping drugs. Konekomaru was looking determinedly at Yukio's boots, Shima at Izumo, Izumo's head turned pointedly in the opposite direction, and Bon's eyes drilling holes into Yukio's own eyes. Not to mention that Shura's interrogating mode was turned on.

He sighed. "Nii-san…refuses to explain. And I will _not _push him any further now, and _neither_ will you. I did not inform you of nii-san's possibly self-inflicted sickness and injuries because he didn't want me to, and for once, I think that nii-san actually used his brain and knew that tons of questions would be forthcoming from you. Now. If you will excuse me I have a mission to attend to."

"A mission." Izumo scoffed. "You aren't even trying. We know you wouldn't leave your brother alone like that, you're way too protective of him to do so. My guess is you're trying to hide from our questions."

Yukio sighed, frustrated. "I'm not the one hiding! I'm just respecting what nii-san wants! You want the story? I came home from that mission with Shura to find nii-san shivering in bed, _blue_, with massive organ failure and face covered with blood and limbs twisted the wrong angles. I had to give him emergency CPR, rush to rent the equipment and invent an excuse for it, and not leave nii-san alone for too long. And he's been getting worse until the day I had no choice but to leave him alone and go to the pharmacy for more medicine!"

_The day Shiemi made her visit to Rin. _They abruptly recalled.

"And now, now, he's getting better, he doesn't need all those machines, and he can hear again, but his _eyes_-he still can't see! At least you've proved that he has no problem crying…but blind…"

_Blind._

Of course, of course they should have noticed sooner, how Rin's eyes were always closed, how he left his bangs long enough to hide his eyes from sight _because he was blind._ But they just couldn't comprehend it. Rin, Okumura Rin, son of Satan, dear friend/nemesis to all, _blind_.

This is unacceptable. How do you imagine someone suddenly go blind? All brightness and fire (blue flames, the kind they once shunned him for) and all of a sudden just _blind. Darkness._

_Rin knocking over chairs when he tries to enter the classroom._

_Rin tripping over every little stone._

_Rin being unable to cook anymore._

_No one being able to tell whether Rin was nodding off in class._

_No more life in those azure blue eyes._

"Sensei." Izumo spoke. "If my deductions are correct, Okumura-kun is suffering blindness because of damage to his optic nerve during the fever."

Yukio nodded in confirmation. "The other parts of his eyes are healthy, so maybe…"

Izumo frowned. "Is it damaged beyond repair?"

Yukio shrugged. "I am not a specialist in this, and I was planning to take him to see a specialist as soon as he is strong enough, but since his auditory nerve was damaged and it healed too, I presume that it can be healed. However, since it has shown no signs of healing, I simply assumed that nii-san's eyesight would be permanently affected. A permanent reminder for him to _never_ touch ice again."

Shiemi narrowed her eyes. Konekomaru spoke up. "I-I'm sorry to interrupt, but allow me to offer my hypothesis. Okumura-kun has accelerated healing abilities because of his demon side, yes?"

"True." Yukio confirmed, starting to come to the same conclusion three of his students already have.

"Therefore, what would happen if we unlock his blue flames and let them do the healing?" Suguro suggested.

Yukio hesitated. "Nii-san wouldn't want that."

"Why?" Shura interjected.

"From my observations…" Yukio cast a cautious glance around the room. "It appears that nii-san has made the connection between his flames and his ice allergy, and somehow made the stupid leap of logic that he would be able to exterminate his blue flames by gulping down tons of ice. As if Satan's power could be exorcised like that." Yukio let out a bitter laugh. Shima imagined forcing ice down the throat of someone who has been possessed by Satan. "Therefore, letting him see his blue flames right now might not be the best idea…"

Shima twisted his staff in his hands. "Um…not to be self-centered, but is Rin trying to kill himself because of us?" He asked bluntly. "If that's so, we can always just go with you when you unseal the sword and we get another group hug, preferably this time with my head nearer Izumo-chan dearest~"

Izumo blushed red and smacked Shima. The rest of them were nodding though.

"I will stay!" Shiemi declared, not unlike the night they first found out about Rin's allergy.

A glance at the rest of the group told them all that no one would be excluded from this important event.

Well, all except Shura, that is.

"Well~I wouldn't want to ruin your little party with a teacher around~Though it seems that moley four eyes here would turn this into a lesson as soon as he can. Enjoy yourselves~" Shura turned and left, ponytail swinging behind her.

* * *

><p>(<em>"Shiro, I know that the little monkey you entrusted to Mephisto, of all people, and me must have you turning in your grave. But you don't have to worry anymore. I think that it's time for you to hand over the worrying. Moley four eyes is doing enough of that already, and Rin has made friends. It seemed like they would abandon him at first, but maybe they just needed time to sort everything out. They will do their best to give Rin a happy life."<em>

_Shura looks at the blossoms sprouting around Shiro's grave. Tiny periwinkles. How appropriate._

"_And…I guess that this may be a little too late, but your funeral was quite a little event…no one even heard of it. Blame yourself for leaving so little money. And maybe I just needed some time to sort my own feelings out. So…rest in peace. Chicken.")_

* * *

><p>Blue flames flickered around Rin and he slowly opened his eyes, hoping and yet not daring to hope.<p>

Brilliant yellow. Rin almost wept with relief as his vision sharpened and focused when he saw the top of Shiemi's head, her arms wrapped around his middle. Suguro had a hand on Rin's arm, so did Shima, Konekomaru, Izumo and Yukio. The physical contact between his blue flames and his friends made Rin feel just a tiny bit better. Then a warm feeling started to spread. From his heart, then to his entire body.

"Thank you." Rin whispered. "Thank you."

And Shima started to shudder as he claimed that the situation was a little too cheesy for him and was Rin okay now?

Suguro started testing Rin's vision with a textbook. Shiemi had brought over two weeks' worth of herbs that were good for the eyes and filled with Vitamin A. Konekomaru brought carrots. _Carrots._

Izumo left the room when Rin's vision was confirmed to be healthy and perfect. Later, no one would claim the mysterious yellow plushie in the living room with big eyes, a ribbon on its head, and the message get well soon.

* * *

><p>(<em>Strangely, the strange ice allergy disappeared on the day his friends accepted him as a son of Satan)<em>

* * *

><p>"…NII-SAN!"<p>

Rin stopped halfway in the motion of drinking his Coke. "Waa?" The drink gurgled in his mouth for a moment before he swallowed it and managed to speak more clearly. "What?"

Yukio's glasses flashed dangerously. "_Ice, _nii-san, _ice._"

Rin froze. "Um, oh no?"

"Oh no sounds just about right." Yukio started to drag Rin back to the dorm. "Let me get a thermometer in you and _you! _ Cancel all your plans for the evening!"

* * *

><p>"…"<p>

"…"

"I'm bored."

"You do _not_ go to cram school until the danger is confirmed to be past." Yukio didn't look up from the paper he was marking. "Read a textbook or something."

"Urghh." Rin whined. "It's been a day and a half and I feel perfectly okay! _Honestly_, Yukio."

"Meow." Kuro sympathized with Rin.

_Riippp._

"Nii-san, that'd better not be what I think it was."

"…sorry…"

"You did _not_ just rip a page out of my Jump manga."

"…sorry…"

Sigh.

"Go to cram school, nii-san."

"…_YES!_"


End file.
